My Hero In A Half Shell
by tmntspirits
Summary: When Autumn O'Neil moves to Manhattan from California, she finds out her cousin has been keeping a lot of secrets from her... Eventual Mikey/OC
1. The Big Apple

**A/N: Hi everyone! This is my first TMNT fan fic, so please be nice! Any feedback is appreciated, and also any ideas as to what direction this story goes in too! Please note the rating of the story, it will contain cursing, violence and adult themes later on! I hope you enjoy!  
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**Cowabunga, dudes!**

Autumn O'Neil reached down and scrambled at her suitcases from the ridiculously slow carousel, grunting with the effort as she hoisted them off and onto the floor.

As if a whole day of travelling across the country wasn't enough, she now had to break her goddamn back?

Today sucked. Like, total suckitude, man.

Sighing, she blew a piece of hair from her face and proceeded to drag her luggage through JFK airport, weaving her way through the impatient, moody and tired passengers who had suffered the same long winded flight as she had.

As the passengers moved through to arrivals, Autumn's eyes scanned the awaiting crowd, looking for the familiar face of her cousin.

As usual, she spotted the hair first. That gorgeous fiery red hair that, unfortunately, Autumn did not inherit from the O'Neil genes. Instead, she ended up with dirty blond, that fell just below her shoulders. It contrasted nicely with the bright blue O'Neil eyes she shared with her cousin, though, so she wasn't complaining.

"Autumn! Autumn, over here!"

Autumn's head turned in the direction of that familiar voice, a smile spreading across her face as her cousin emerged out of the crowd, holding her arms out.

"April!" Autumn grinned and ran as fast as she could towards her cousin, embracing her as tightly as she could whilst trying not to drop her bags. "God, it's so great to see you"

"I know, I'm so happy you're finally here!" April O'Neil pulled away and smiled at Autumn "You look great! How was the flight?"

"Ah, you know, the usual. Long, uncomfortable and cold. You could have warned me about the temp, ya know, cuz" Autumn said, as she shivered, pulling on a sweatshirt.

"Sorry, sometimes I forget that Laguna Beach is, like, the polar opposite of Manhattan" April smiled apologetically. "Casey is just grabbing us some coffee, and then we can get home"

"Sure, I cant wait to meet this husband of yours" Autumn smirked "we both know your choice of men can be kinda shitty"

"Well, I hope I don't fit in that category" an unfamiliar voice sounded from behind Autumn and she whirled around, coming face to face with a very handsome guy with shaggy black hair and piercing hazel eyes. He had a cheeky smirk on his face and three coffees in his hands. "I guess you gotta be Autumn?"

"You'd be right" she smiled up at her cousins husband "and I'm guessing you're the unlucky guy who married my cousin?"

"Remind me why I said you could stay with us again?" Chuckled April, knowing Autumn was only joking around.

"Cos you love me. Nice to meet you Casey, and thanks so much for letting me crash at your place until I get an apartment sorted" autumn held out her hand once Casey had handed the coffees out. Casey waved her thanks off and shook her hand.

"Don't worry about it kid, you're my family too now" he smiled kindly.

Autumn definitely liked him, and she sent her cousin a sneaky nod of approval as he picked up her luggage and carried it through the airport. As they emerged outside, autumn's teeth began to chatter in the crisp February air, and she glanced upwards, smiling at the flakes of snow that were drifting to the ground.

"I guess you don't see snow very often on the Golden Coast, huh?" Casey chuckled as Autumn carried on looking up at the sky in amazement.

"Very rarely" she looked at April and Casey "y'know, I thought I'd hate moving to New York but, it's actually kinda cool"

"The novelty will wear off in a few days" laughed April "and you'll be pining for the beach and your surfboard before you know it"

"You surf?" Casey looked mildly impressed as the group approached his truck.

"She's won medals for it" April said proudly, making her cousin blush a little.

"Woah, that's kinda cool" Casey chuckled "I'm very impressed, kid"

"Hey, easy on the 'kid', dude, I'm 24" Autumn pointed a finger in Casey's direction, but she was smiling. Casey chuckled again, unlocking the truck and placing Autumn's luggage in the trunk. "Besides, when you grow up with the beach on your doorstep, you learn a few things"

"Well, I'm guessing since you couldn't bring your surfboard, you brought your other board?" April asked with a raised eyebrow as they got into the car.

"Sure did. She's all wrapped up in my bag" Autumn nodded, referring to her precious skateboard. "What else am I gonna get around the Big Apple on?" she laughed, climbing into the car, yelping when she sat on something that definitely wasn't supposed to be there. She reached under her butt and picked up the strange object, chuckling when she realised it was a hockey mask. "Hey, Jason, I hear Camp Crystal Lake is kinda nice this time of year?" She joked, waving the mask at Casey.

"Ah, crap, sorry kiddo, forgot that was back there" Casey shot a look at April who shrugged.

"Casey used to play professionally until he got injured, he likes to keep his sticks and masks around as a reminder of his former glory"

Autumn laughed loudly as Casey scowled at his wife.

"Thanks, babe" he muttered and she patted his cheek.

"How are you going to survive with two females in the same house?" Autumn teased as Casey started the engine.

"With plenty of beer" he sighed, ignoring the two women giggling, and pulling out of the airport parking lot. "What did I do to deserve this kind of punishment?"

The drive to April and Casey's place wasn't too bad, well as far as Manhattan traffic went anyway, and a smile broke out over Autumn's sleepy face as she recognised the old building as they approached it.

"You live above Uncle Kirby's old shop? Man, I thought this place would have collapsed by now" Autumn chuckled to herself as she recalled spending one or two summer's here with her aunt, uncle and April as a child, running around the old antique store and seeing how many creepy old toys she could re-arrange before her uncle noticed.

"Nah, but I only keep it open on weekends, working at the station takes up most of my time during the week, and Casey bartends in Brooklyn most nights" April smiled, unlocking the door at the side of the store to get up to the apartment above. "We've spent a lot of time and money making the apartment more…modern. It's truly ours now"

"Thank God, because no offence, Aunt Annie's taste in drapes and carpet was just awful" teased Autumn as they made their way up the narrow staircase.

"I know" April chuckled at the mention of her mother. "Well, welcome home, Autumn"

"Dude…" Autumn gasped at how much the apartment had changed. It was more open now, the wall that once separated the kitchen and living room now gone, leaving a spacious area for the married couple to cook and lounge in. The hideous paisley carpet had long been ripped out, replaced with smooth, light wooden flooring throughout the entire apartment, which may have made it cold, had it not been for the large open fireplace in the corner, opposite the large flat screen tv (no doubt Casey's contribution to the apartment makeover). The large corner couch looked extremely comfortable, and it was clear which end was Casey's, and which end was April's. Casey's being the end closest to the coffee table, giving him easy access to the TV remote, and whatever can of soda or beer he liked. April's end had a book on archaeology resting open on the arm of the couch; her glasses perched on top carefully.

The bathroom had been completely re-done, with a full bathtub installed, as well as a shower. April and Casey's room overlooked the streets, whilst the guest room, Autumn's new room, didn't have such a great view, but it did have a window seat, which Autumn flipped out over. It was the one thing she had in her apartment in Laguna Beach that she was devastated to leave behind, and she had a sneaky feeling April may have convinced Casey to quickly build one once she learned her cousin was going to be moving to the city.

It wasn't a huge apartment, but it was homely and cosy, and just what Autumn needed.

It almost made the death of her parents easier to cope with.


	2. Trouble In Brooklyn

The jet lag crept up on Autumn quicker than she realised, and next thing she knew, she was waking up to the harsh winter sun streaming in through the window. She groaned, sitting up off her new bed and stretching, still in yesterday's clothes, and sporting a killer case of bed head.

She changed into sweatpants and a hoodie, making it look like she had at least made some effort to get ready for bed, and wandered out of her room and into the living room, the scent of bacon and coffee filling her nostrils.

"Hey, look who's finally conscious!" Casey chuckled from the couch, sipping a mug of coffee as he read the paper. April poked her head out from the kitchen, giggling a little at her cousin.

"Good morning, sleepy head" she smiled, "I see you somehow managed to change?"

"Yeah I was kinda hoping you wouldn't pick up on that..." Autumn grinned sheepishly, helping herself to a mug of coffee, adding creamer and two sugars to it.

"Are you kidding? When you disappeared into your new room to 'check it out' and hadn't come back out after an hour, I checked in on you and you were sprawled out on the bed, snoring like a trooper" april laughed, plating up the bacon and quickly making more pancakes. Autumns stomach rumbled loudly as she scowled at her cousin.

"I do NOT snore" she protested, glaring at Casey as he walked over and joined her at the dining table, patting her on the shoulder.

"Sorry kiddo, but I have to back my lovely wife up here...you snore. And very loudly at that."

"You know, this whole being married to my cousin thing can be hard, or easy, Jones. Your choice" Autumn smirked playfully as she shoved him lightly. April brought over the food and the three of them ate in a comfortable silence. April finished her breakfast quickly and placed her plate in the sink.

"I'm sorry to leave you on your first day, Aut, but I have to go to work" the older O'Neil cousin said apologetically. Autumn finished her mouthful of pancake and waved it off.

"No worries, Ape, I was probably just gonna bum around the city today, maybe look for a job of some sort"

"Y'know, if you're interested in bar work, I can hook ya up at my place" Casey offered, getting up and placing his now empty plate into the sink, leaning against the counter. Autumn chewed her lip in thought. She would feel bad getting a job through nepotism, she liked to feel like she earned a position, not had it handed to her.

"I'll see whats around,but I'll keep that in mind Casey, thank you" she smiled and he nodded, tilting his mug at her.

"No problemo, kiddo" he smirked as she glared playfully at him. He and April showered and headed to work, leaving Autumn alone in the apartment. She finished her coffee and showered, dressing in the warmest clothes she owned, which, being from California, wasn't much more than jeans and a hoodie, and she wandered onto the street below the apartment, instantly shivering in the harsh winter air.

"This whole snow thing is getting real old, real fast" she grumbled to herself as she headed to the nearest subway station, pulling her hood up tightly around her head. She rode the subway to Times Square, of course, and took her time wandering around the stores, asking for anything in the way of a job, trying not to let her disappointment and frustration show when store after store rejected her. A few hours later, after a small lunch break, she decided to give it another shot, a new wave of confidence washing over her.

"Oh come on!" She groaned, kicking the sidewalk as she stormed out of the Element store, throwing her arms up in frustration. Her cell began to vibrate in her pocket, and she took it out with a sigh. "Hey, April"

_"Hi sweetie, how's the job hunting going?"_

"Ugh, as shitty as it possibly could, I even got rejected from the skating store" autumn groaned, leaning against a street light to avoid the wave of tourists and grumpy New Yorkers. "Plus, the people here are really RUDE!" She all but shouted as a middle aged lady barged into her, almost knocking her cell phone from her hand. "Fuck..."

_"Sounds like you need to take a break...why don't you head on down to Casey's bar and hang out with him for a bit? He might be able to help you find a few places in Brooklyn that will hire you?"_ April suggested, and Autumn could hear the concern in her cousins voice. _"But you know, there's no rush for you to get a job and get your own place...I only just got you back, honey"_

"Ape.." Autumn sighed, chewing her lip "I know, and believe me I'm so grateful for you taking me in, but...you guys are married and stuff, I don't wanna be all up in your love nest"

April laughed loudly on the other end of the phone.

_"Okay, okay, but still, you always have a home with us_" she said kindly and Autumn nodded, even though she couldn't see her.

"Thanks Ape," Autumn growled once more on frustration as yet another person pushed into her. "Y'know, I think I might take that trip to Brooklyn and get myself a freakin' drink, you damn New Yorkers are so pissy"

_"We have that charm"_ April giggled, before giving Autumn the instructions on how to get to Casey's bar. The cousins said goodbye, and Autumn headed to the nearest subway station.

**OOOOOO**

"The Zamboni? Really?!" Autumn stared up at the bar in front of her, shaking her head at the name of her cousins husband's bar. She cringed at the name, eyeing up the neon lit sign of two hockey sticks crossed together over a hockey mask that oddly resembled the one she had almost sat on in Casey's truck yesterday. "Dude sure loves him some hockey"

Unable to stand the cold winter air any more, she pushed open the heavy door and headed inside. Even on a weekday afternoon, the small bar was crowded. Casey was behind the bar, yelling orders for food into the kitchen, whilst one poor waitress rushed around with her tray, trying to get everyone's orders to them as quickly as she possibly could. Autumn pushed through the crowd watching some old school hockey re-runs on the large tv, eventually popping out near the bar and grabbing a stool.

"Hey kiddo!" Casey yelled, serving a beer to an elderly man before rushing over.

"Hey yourself, I would ask for a drink but it looks like half of Brooklyn is wanting the same thing," Autumn chuckled "Is it always like this?"

"Pretty much." Casey said with a long suffering sigh, as another waitress came out of the kitchen to cover the bar. "Ever since we opened, it's been non stop. When I dreamt about opening my own bar I imagined I'd be sitting behind a desk in my own office doing the books, not playing bar maid."

"Aw, but it suits you so well, honey" Autumn teased, patting her cousin's husband's cheek. He rolled his eyes, before handing her a vodka and coke. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ape already called and warned me you'd be coming in. Not been so lucky on the job front, huh?" Casey poured himself a glass of water, leaning against the bar.

"Nah, every place turned me down. I'm beginning to lose hope…" Autumn sighed, taking a sip of her drink through the straw Casey placed in her glass.

"Well, you know, we need help here, I'd gladly give you a job, I wasn't kidding earlier"

Autumn chewed her lip in thought, before nodding and smiling.

"Sure, what the hell? When can I start?"

"How about tomorrow night? You can come down with me for say, six?" a look of relief washed over Casey's face as she beamed at him.

Autumn reached across the bar and shook her new boss's hand.

"Done, dude."

**OOOOOO**

Two hours later, the bar picked up again, and Autumn decided to head home. She had forgotten how quickly night would draw in on the east coast during winter time, as the sky was now dark, and the Brooklyn streets illuminated by the orange lamps.

"Shit." Autumn hissed. Everything looked totally different in the dark, and her brain was clouded by three vodka and cokes, and now she had no idea how to get back to Manhattan.

Of course, the easy solution would be to go back inside and call April from the bar phone, but April wasn't the only O'Neil who was incredibly stubborn.

"I can totally do this" Autumn mumbled to herself as she zipped up her hoodie and headed in the direction she believed she had come from earlier. She stopped on a street corner, turning her head both ways, chewing on her lip as she tried to remember the way. She shrugged before crossing the street and heading in a general northern direction. She turned into a dark alleyway, stopping as she spotted the silhouettes of five burly men, all dressed in black, huddled around, drinking and exchanging small bags of what was more than likely to be coke. They all turned to stare at her as she held her hands up, backing away slowly.

"Sorry for interrupting dudes...uh…no harm, no foul, right?"

"You turned into the wrong alley, sweetheart" one of the men growled, all five of them moving towards her. "Pretty little thing, ain't she?"

"Think we'll have some fun with her before we waste her." Another chuckled, producing a switchblade from his leather jacket sleeve.

"W-waste me?" stuttered Autumn, "I-I think that's a bit extreme don't you? I won't say anything, to anyone if that's what you're worried about, I swear!" she almost reached the opening of the alley before she grunted, her back connecting with another body behind her. She gasped as he grabbed her, picking her up with no effort and carrying her back into the shadows.

"Can't risk it, baby." He whispered in her ear, his breath making her feel sick. As soon as they were deep enough into the alley where they couldn't be seen, the man threw Autumn to the ground in the middle of the group. "I'm gonna enjoy this…" he grinned menacingly, walking towards her unzipping his pants as the rest of the guys chuckled and cheered him on, stood around in a circle.

"Please don't…"Autumn begged weakly as he crawled on top of her. She was powerless under his body…

"Didn't your mama's ever teach you to treat a lady with respect?" another voice, a heavy Brooklyn accented voice, echoed through the alleyway, one Autumn knew didn't belong to any of the thugs around her as they all looked around the alley, their eyes wide. Suddenly the lights around them went out.

"Yeah, dudes, chicks dig respect" another strange voice. Autumn's brow furrowed in confusion, the one sounded like he was straight out of Venice Beach.

"Who the fuck said that?!" the man on top of her bellowed, tightening his grip on her body. "Come out, pussies!"

"If you insist…" yet _another_ voice said, and Autumn could practically hear the smirk the voice's owner had to be wearing.

"Are you sure that's what you really want? Not exactly a logical decision when you don't even know what you're up against." Okay, seriously, _four_ voices had joined this party now, and it was starting to freak Autumn out.

"Yeah, I fucking do, and you're gonna be so fucking sorry-"

Autumn let out a startled scream as the weight on top of her was suddenly pulled away, the sudden jerk causing her to bang her head against the floor, hard, and the darkness of the alley not allowing her to see who was responsible for this. She huddled against the wall, cradling her head and squeezing her eyes shut as bangs, crunches, curses and battle cries echoed around her.

Then silence.

"Cowabunga!" Venice Beach yelled. "That was totally awesome dudes!"

"Calm it, dome head, where'd the girl go?" Brooklyn sounded concerned.

"I-I'm here" Autumn mumbled into the darkness, feeling queasy and seeing stars.

"Are you injured, Miss?" one of the voices questioned. Autumn shook her head, before realising they probably couldn't see her.

"M-my head…I..it hurts" she whispered, struggling to her feet. She let go of the wall and took a step forward, before a wave of nausea hit her and she collapsed on the floor, her eyes growing heavy as four large silhouettes approached her from the shadows. Her eyes rolled back and she promptly passed out.

"Aw, shell, April's gonna kill us…"


	3. Shadows of the Night

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry for the horribly long break in between chapters, I wasn't too sure how I wanted this story to pan out, but now I have a clearer idea so I decided to chug out another chapter! Thanks for all the reads, follows, favourites and reviews, it really means a lot to me! Feedback is always appreciated, please let me know what you think!**

Autumn awoke with a groan the next morning, her head throbbing and her whole body aching. She sat up slowly, frowning in confusion as she realised she was in her own bed, still in her clothes from last night, minus her hoodie, socks and sneakers.

"Oh, thank god, you're awake!" April's voice from the corner of her room made the younger O'Neil cousin jump, a small wave of nausea coursing through her. April practically leapt from the arm chair she had obviously spent the night in to throw her arms around Autumn, hugging her tightly.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm awake, but jeez, April, don't break my ribs there," Autumn laughed hoarsely, hugging her cousin back.

"You scared the shit out of us…" April whispered, a few tears falling as she sat back, studying Autumn's face. "What the hell were you doing wandering Brooklyn by yourself?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Ape, I knew you'd been at work and I didn't wanna bother you, and Casey was run off his feet at the bar…"

"You're lucky he came out when he did, God knows what would have happened if he hadn't have scared those assholes away…"

Autumn frowned.

"What are you talking about? April, Casey wasn't there."

"Aut, he was. You hit your head before he got to you, he found you in the alley."

"I may have hit my head, Ape, but I remember what happened. Casey was nowhere near me, these four guys fought the others off, pulled the one guy off of me and that's when I hit my head…" Autumn gingerly touched the back of her head, feeling the small but prominent bump there. "And I know there were four of them cos I can remember hearing four different voices…"

"You hit your head pretty hard Autumn…Casey found you face down in the alley unconscious…are you sure you didn't imagine it?" April was frowning, studying her younger cousin's face.

"I know what I saw, and heard, April, I'm not freaking crazy, okay? There were four voices, four guys who kicked the shit out of the assholes who tried to cut me-"

"Did you see them?"

"N-no…I mean, I saw their shadows but they stayed in the dark…"

April said nothing. "April, I know what I saw."

"Get dressed, we'll go out for breakfast when you're ready." She simply said, placing a kiss to Autumn's temple, and leaving the room, shutting the door behind her. Autumn sighed, lying back down in her bed and staring up at the ceiling.

"I know what I saw…" Autumn whispered out loud, punching her mattress in frustration. As bad as her head was hurting, she knew she had to go to work tonight, and find these mystery men, to thank them, and to prove to her family that she wasn't crazy.

Outside her bedroom door, April leant against the wall, letting her head fall back onto it with a soft 'thump'. She pulled out her cell phone from her pocket, quickly typing out a text.

**To: Casey**

**I don't know how much longer I can lie to her...**

**From: Casey**

**We have to, babe. It's for the best. You want to keep her safe, right?**

**To: Casey**

**Of course, but the guys could help do just that...**

**From: Casey**

**Or, she could end up being dragged into danger. You have to admit, ever since they went back into hiding again, our lives have been less...crazy.**

April sighed, pocketing her phone. She knew her husband was right, but at the same time, she didn't want to keep lying to her close family, it just didn't feel right...

"Alright, I'm alive...let's go," Autumn emerged from her room in jeans and a hoodie, her blond hair tied back into a messy bun. "I'm starving...and I need to get some clothes that are more 'NYC winter' than 'Laguna Beach in a stiff breeze', I was freezing my butt off yesterday."

April let out a giggle at her cousin's less than impressed expression. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. If I'm not getting my head bashed against some sidewalk, I'm gettin' hypothermia..."

"Oh Autumn...you're such a Cali girl. Come on, let's get your butt to IHOP before you freeze it off, then I'll take you to Macy's."

"Sweet." Despite her pounding head and occasional nausea, Autumn couldn't help the grin spreading across her face. Pancakes and shopping? This was _so _her scene.

**- a few hours later -**

Autumn groaned, slumping onto a poof in the middle of Macy's shoe department. Somehow, a shopping trip for her had turned into a shopping trip for April's next on camera interview next Wednesday. Typical.

"April, just get the damn shoes, okay? You've been walking around in them for the past half hour, you know it's gonna kill you to put them back." The younger O'Neil cousin huffed massaging her temples. At this rate she wouldn't have time to get home and try on her new clothes before she had to leave for work.

"But Casey doesn't like red shoes, he says they make me look like Dorothy..."

"Jeez, April, you're married now, you don't have to try so hard to please him. Just get them, they look awesome, and if you wear them with hat blouse and skirt you were telling me about they'll look rad. Now can we please go? I need to make myself presentable for my first day of work."

"Are you sure you'll be okay going to work tonight? Maybe you should stay home and rest-"

Autumn groaned.

"April, no offence, but I've spent all day shopping with you, and I need a break. Plus, I can't let Casey down, it's Friday, the bar is bound to be busy."

April sighed, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at her cousin. "I'm not five anymore April, you don't need to protect me..."

"I'm always going to want to protect you, Autumn...but if you really want to go tonight, I'll take you there, and you can wait for Casey when you finish so you can come home together. Deal?"

Autumn chewed the inside of her cheek. How would she possibly be able to find these four mystery heroes if April and Casey were watching her every move?

"Ugh, fine. If it get you off my back...now get the damn shoes, I need to make myself pretty for my Friday night patrons." Autumn smirked, laughing and dodging the ballet pump her cousin threw at her.

An hour and a half later, Autumn and April were riding the subway over to Brooklyn, despite Autumn's protests that she did not need an escort. The fiery haired older O'Neil wouldn't have it any other way, and made it ten times worse as she insisted on walking Autumn straight to the front door of the bar, making sure her cousin knew the route like the back of her hand to prevent last night from happening again.

"Now, you're waiting for Casey to finish before you come home, right?"

"Yes, April."

"And when you have your break, you're staying inside, right?"

"Yes, April."

"And you-"

"Yes, April, if Casey asks me to go get supplies from the store, I will go there and straight back, not taking any shortcuts, jeez," Autumn rolled her eyes before heading into the bar.

"Have a good shift!" April called, waving at the back of her cousin before the door shut in her face. Autumn groaned out loud as she shrugged off her new coat, hanging it up on the coat hooks beside the bar, and straightened out her 'Zamboni Bar and Grill' tshirt, before meeting Casey in the back office. Surprisingly, the bar was relatively quiet, so Casey was able to train his new cousin up quickly and thoroughly, ecstatic at how quickly the young woman was picking everything up.

As the Friday night drinkers poured in, it quickly became clear that the after effects of Autumn's head injury from last night were getting to her, as she became a little slow and pale.

"Hey, Aut, why don't you head to the store a couple blocks over and get some more hot dog buns? And mustard, too, these drunkards are rinsing us out tonight," Casey chuckled, handing Autumn some cash, and a list so she knew what brands to get. "Take your time, get some air, then when you get back, you can do the tables okay?"

"Sure, Casey, thanks," Autumn nodded, still feeling slightly queasy. She grabbed her coat and made her way through the crowd, inhaling the cold night air as she stepped outside, the sickness in her stomach easing off.

As she quickly headed over to the store, the wind began to pick up and Autumn shivered, pulling up the collar of her coat around her neck, and quickening her pace. She crossed the street, avoiding eye contact with every single person she passed, actually feeling a little twinge of fear coursing through her. Her heart quickened considerably as she approached the alleyway she had accidentally wandered down last night, and crossed back over to the other side of the street, pausing for a moment outside the dimly lit liquor store and staring down the dark side street, swallowing hard.

Had she really imagined everything last night? Was Casey the only person who came to her rescue?

A quick movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention to the rooftops above the alleyway, and Autumn squinted in the harsh air, trying to make out who, or what, was up there. As her eyes focused, she could make out four large silhouettes, two standing, and two crouching, watching her.

Her heart thumped against her chest. _I knew it!_

The shadows were still, and silent, and even though Autumn couldn't make out their faces, she could feel their eyes on her.

They didn't want to be seen for a reason, so she thought it best not to shout her thanks up to them. Instead, she raised a hand and gave them all a small wave. It wasn't much, but she hoped it translated to 'hey, thanks for saving my ass last night dudes, much appreciated' or something like that.

One of the shadows raised his arm in response, before flinching as one of the others punched him on the arm. The first shadow rubbed his arm as Autumn giggled slightly, taking her eyes off the rooftops for one second. When she glanced back up, the other three shadows had disappeared leaving the waving shadow alone. He gave her a proper wave this time, and she smiled up at him, before he also disappeared into the night.

Autumn chuckled to herself, before carrying on her way to the store.

**~~somewhere in Brooklyn, heading towards Manhattan~~**

"Dudes! Did you see that?! She totally waved at me, man!"

"Yeah and you almost blew our cover, shell for brains! What happened to just checking in on her, like April said?!"

"Raph, keep it down! You know Master Splinter said we weren't to come topside! We don't need to be caught!"

"Oh, forgive me, fearless leader, but I ain't the one who got us seen by a human!"

"Her reaction wasn't what I expected…"

"That's cos she couldn't _see_ us, Donnie! Man, from up here we probably just look like bodybuilders or somethin'!"

"But did you see _her_?! She's a complete babe, and she totally likes me!"

"Mikey, just shut up! We gotta get back down to the lair before Splinter knows we're gone!"

"Alright, alright, Leo, chill, man," the voices ceased as the four shadows leapt and landed silently on the ground. A quiet rumble could be heard, indicating something was being moved on the ground. "But when we get back, I'm ordering celebratory 'April's hot cousin it totally into me' pizza!"

"MIKEY!"


	4. Suckerpunch

Chapter 4: Suckerpunch

It had been a few weeks since Autumn arrived on the East coast, and she had finally settled into a routine. Five nights a week, she'd make her way down to Brooklyn at around five thirty, pause at around five fifty two and glance up at the same building, hoping to catch another glance of her mystery heroes, look down in disappointment at five fifty four, then carry on walking and arrive at work for five fifty nine.

The other two days, she tended to just sleep, or surf the internet hoping to find some clues to her saviours in the shadows.

But, nothing.

"I need a freaking hobby…" Autumn sighed, one Thursday morning as yet another Google search proved fruitless. Both April and Casey had left early this morning, so Autumn had fixed herself some breakfast and retreated back to her room, assuming the usual position of sitting Indian style on her bed, her laptop balanced on her legs.

She glanced around her room, spotting her digital SLR camera resting on her bookshelf. As well as surfing, and skating, photography had also been a serious hobby of the younger O'Neil. Whether it was portraits, landscapes, or just snapping random shots, Autumn was all over it. And the fact that she had been in New York City for almost a month, without taking a single photograph, made her a tiny bit annoyed at herself.

Autumn peeled herself off her bed, and went for a shower, excited to finally get outside for something other than work. Forty five minutes later, she threw her backpack over her shoulder, camera around her neck, and skateboard under her arm, and headed out. First stop, Central Park.

**OOOOOO**

"Oh hey, I was wondering when we'd see you today," April smiled kindly as her younger cousin walked through the door, setting her skateboard down by her shoes.

"Hey, sorry, I finally decided to quit rotting in my room and pick up my camera," Autumn grinned, waving said camera at April and Casey. "I didn't actually mean to stay out all day but…this city is pretty big."

"No shit," Casey chuckled, ducking his wife's slap with expertise. "You get some good shots, kid?"

"I think, I'm gonna go through them on my computer in a bit," she shrugged, handing over the camera to Casey, letting him scroll through some of the pictures.

"I'm glad you finally decide to get back into it, Aut, I always loved your pictures," smiled April, glancing over Casey's shoulder at the camera as she placed dinner on the table. Autumn chuckled lightly as she sat down.

"You're kinda biased though"

"Maybe she is, but I sure as hell ain't. You got a good eye, Aut, these are really good!" Casey passed back the camera and Autumn set it down.

The family chatted quietly over dinner, mostly about their days, and last night's hockey game (this was Casey's input after he was done scarfing down his lasagna), and Autumn offered to do the dishes before once again retreating to her room.

Once her laptop had fired up, she removed the memory card from her camera, and carefully inserted it into the computer, eager to see her photos on a bigger screen.

Autumn had taken at least 300 photos today, admittedly getting a little snap happy, so it took a while to sort through them all, deleting ones that didn't quite look right, or the slightly blurry ones from where she had been knocked by a random pedestrian. When she had deleted over half of the images, she finally settled on the ones she wanted to keep, she got to work on editing them.

She got the standard Times Square, Rockefeller, Central Park and Empire State building shots, as well as a few shots of Battery Park, Lady Liberty and Strawberry Fields. The people in New York were so different to Laguna Beach, so…pissy and always in a hurry. It fascinated Autumn, so she decided to snap a few shots of the crowds going about their days in the city. She giggled to herself as she zoomed in to study the people's faces, the way they were walking, the random figures all dressed in black looking straight at her-

"What the fuck…" Autumn whispered to herself, a frown crossing her face as she zoomed in closer. She couldn't make out their faces. She felt her heart beat increase and her palms get a little sweaty as she checked the rest of her crowd pictures. Sure enough, in every picture, at least three of these black figures were stood, watching her. A cold shiver ran down her spine, and she quickly closed the lid of her laptop.

This city was fucking weird.

**OOOOOO**

"Shit!" Autumn cursed as the beer she was pulling from the tap overflowed and soaked her jeans. "Casey, I'm sorry, I-"

"Don't sweat it, kid, it happens, here" Casey passed his cousin a cloth. "You okay? You've been really distracted tonight."

"Y-yeah, I'm fine...I just...maybe I'm coming down with something," Autumn lied, gingerly touching her head for added effect. Truth was, she hadn't slept at all last night; the figures in black haunting her every time she closed her eyes. Now the usual happy go lucky young woman was looking over her shoulder every five minutes, and couldn't focus on anything. Casey frowned, reaching out and feeling her forehead.

"Hmm, you do feel a little warm, and you look kinda pale. Why don't you go home, kid, it's pretty slow in here tonight, we can manage."

"Casey, I-"

"Go. April'l kill me if I don't look after ya properly. Go home, get some rest, see how ya feel tomorrow, k?"

Autumn sighed. "You want me to call April for ya?"

"No, it's fine Casey, thanks. I'll head straight home." Autumn stepped out from behind the bar, picking up her bag and coat from the rack. "I'll see ya."

"Feel better kid, call me if ya need anything picking up." Casey waved her off as she left the bar, guilt twinging in her stomach. She hurried through the streets, heading down into the station, cursing out loud as she just missed her train. She sat down on a bench and patiently waited for the next one. The station was empty, making it eerily quiet, and Autumn shivered out of nerves. She pulled out her cell phone, resuming her game of Candy Crush from earlier, occasionally peeking up to see if a train was approaching.

Then movement in the tunnel caught her eye.

She leaned forward further off the bench, squinting to try and focus on the swift but silent moving figure in the tunnel. She stood up, moving away from the platform, making sure her back was against a wall, letting out a sharp sigh of relief as another train pulled into the station. She quickly hurried onto the empty carriage, choosing a seat towards the front, away from the doors.

"It was just your imagination, Autumn, just breathe..." She muttered to herself, once again resuming her cell phone game. Fifteen minutes later, the train stopped at Autumn's station, and she quickly gathered up her things and got off, hurrying up the steps to the surface.

"Greetings, Miss O'Neil."

A strange voice echoing through the station made Autumn freeze halfway up the steps, her breathing heavy. She slowly turned in the direction of the voice, swallowing hard as she spotted the three figures from her photographs, all dressed in black and staring up at her. They were...

_Ninjas?!_

And she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her. Why was she so afraid of these bozos?! They looked _ridiculous_!

"New York ninjas huh? Guys, I hate to break it to you, but Halloween isn't for another like nine months. Although, props on the costumes, they're really...uh, authentic. Anyways, you can quit stalking me now, and I won't question how you know my name, okay? Fuck, this is a weird city...Have a nice night, guys-" she turned to carry on heading up the stairs, but was halted by another ninja dude standing right in her way. She glanced over her shoulder to see the other three moving towards her.

"We are not laughing, Miss O'Neil."

"See you say that, but how can I tell? The masks kinda make it hard. Now, it's late, I need to get home so if you don't mind-" she pushed past the dude in front of her.

"You are not going anywhere." The 'ninja' growled, grabbing her arm. "We are here to collect you for our Master."

Autumn responded by cracking a right hook to the guy's jaw, obviously catching him off guard as he immediately let go of her and stumbled backwards, clutching his face. As soon as he let go, Autumn broke out into a sprint, heading up the stairs and onto the street as fast as her legs would carry her.

"Shitshitshitshit" she panted, quickly glancing back and seeing the four men quickly on her tail. "Fuckfuckfuck"

_Why must I always make jokes like that?! I've got some distance on them...if I dive into one of these alleyways I can find a good place to hide..._

Without thinking, she did just that, sprinting down an alleyway in the dark, halting and looking around for a dumpster to hide in or something.

"Oh great, Autumn, nice job. You pick the only god damn alleyway in New York with no fucking dumpster in it!" She hissed to herself. She turned to run back out, only to see the four men from the subway heading towards her. She slowly backed into the wall behind her, there was no way she could escape this one.

_This is it, I'm done for..._

She gasped as a flash exploded in front of her eyes, and coughed as it was followed by a thick screen of smoke. She felt strong arms around her, and something hard pressed up against her body.

"Don't scream, you're safe. I'm getting you outta here, dudette ."

"Okay," she whispered meekly, before everything went black.

**OOOOOO**

"Well, this is just perfect, Mikey, now what are we supposed to do?!"

"I couldn't just leave her up there, Leo, she had four of 'em after her, she needed help!"

"And so your form of help was to bring her down here?! Even after everything April told us?!"

"I know I'm totally awesome and everything, but I didn't feel like getting my shell kicked by four of those assholes! Besides, she's safe down here, up there, she's not! I was just gonna get her out of the alleyway, but she fainted on me and I panicked, I didn't know what to do!"

"Quiet, I think she's coming round!"

"Miss? Miss, can you hear me? Do you know what city you're in?"

Autumn groaned.

"Manhattan, but I'm really beginning to wish I was somewhere else..." She answered hoarsely. She slowly opened her eyes, to be greeted with nothing but black. She immediate sat up in a panic. "Why can't I see?! I'm blind, I can't see! Oh god, oh god, oh god!"

"Miss, if you'd just calm down-"

"Calm down?! I'm blind!" Autumn yelled, feeling around her. "Not to mention, I don't have a clue where I am, or who I'm talking to!"

"You're not blind, dudette, I promise. I had to put a blindfold on you to bring you down here, but you're totally safe!"

That voice...she knew that voice...

"What?! What do you mean 'down here'?! Where the hell am I?!" She questioned, slightly relieved to learn that she was not actually blind.

"I'm going to take your blindfold off you now, and we'll explain everything, okay? But, please...don't freak out..."

And that one, she recognised that one too!

Could it be...?

She felt hands at the back of her head, gently undoing the fabric covering her eyes. It fell from her face and she opened her eyes, allowing herself time to adjust to the light. She blinked rapidly, looking around the unfamiliar place she was currently in that resembled some sort of...science lab?

She looked down, seeing she was sat on a hospital gurney, and swung her legs off the edge, lifting her head up to see who she was talking to moments ago.

And was greeted by the sight of four giant turtles staring back at her.

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened-

"Don't scream!" one of them, with a blue piece of fabric around his head, and dark blue eyes, reached towards her, his three fingered hand almost touching her. "It's okay, we aren't going to hurt you, Miss O'Neil."

"W-w-wha-" Autumn stuttered, words failing her. She rubbed her eyes several times, convinced this wasn't actually happening. It was just a dream, or a hallucination, or something..."wha..."

"Well, at least she ain't screamin'," chuckled the biggest one, who was sporting a red bandana, and piercing green eyes. "Makes a nice change."

"Are you feeling alright, Miss O'Neil?" A kinder, gentler voice asked, coming from the slightly leaner one of the bunch, who was clad in a purple bandana. He gave her a kind smile, showing a small gap in his otherwise perfectly white and straight teeth. His soft brown eyes studied the extremely nervous young woman. "You weren't injured when Mikey found you-"

"M-Mikey?"

"That's me!" The fourth and final turtle made himself more visible. He was clearly the youngest, judging by his height compared to the others, but he still towered above Autumn at a solid six feet. He sported an orange bandana over his youthful face, which was dotted with a few freckles, and his bright blue eyes were fixated on her. "How ya feelin' dudette?"

"Y-you...you're the ones who saved me from those guys in the alleyway that night!" Autumn was finally able to string a sentence together. "You're Venice Beach!" She pointed at the orange clad turtle in front of her, who grinned and chuckled.

"Well, it's actually Michelangelo, but you can call me Mikey!" He extended a hand towards her, which she stared down at. The green skin...the three massive fingers...she carefully reached out with her own hand and shook his, surprised at how...normal it felt. "These are my bros, the one in blue, that's Leonardo, or Leo. Raphael is the one in red, but call him Raph otherwise he gets pissy. And your doctor is Donatello, but we call him Donnie!"

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" She looked up at these giant creatures, and the one introduced as 'Donnie' shook his head. "Please say I'm dreaming..."

"I'm afraid not, Miss O'Neil, you're very much awake."

"Oh." Autumn simply said. The room began spinning and she let out a small groan.

Before promptly passing out again.

"Dude, she's totally April's cousin. You remember how she passed out the first time she met us?!" Mikey chuckled, glancing down at the now unconscious young woman on the gurney.

"Yeah, at least this one ain't piercin' our ear drums though." Raph mused, cracking his knuckles. "This could be a long night."

"And she hasn't even met Master Splinter yet..." Leo sighed, glancing at Donatello. "Is she going to be okay?"

Donnie nodded.

"She'll be fine, it's just the shock. She's had a rough night-"

"More like a rough few weeks, poor kid's been gettin' herself into all kinds a' trouble," snorted Raph. "Sound familiar?"

"Speaking of April, should we call her?" Donnie questioned, gently taking Autumn's wrist in his hand to time her pulse.

"Nah, bruh, as far as April knows, she's at work-"

"And how do you know that, Mikey?!" Leo shot a glare at his baby brother, who shrunk a little, grimacing as he realised he had just landed himself in it. "Because you were only top aide to wait for the pizza, right?!"

"This oughta be good," chuckled Raphael, folding his arms and smirking at the youngest turtle.

"I...uh..I...she-"

"Mikey's been keeping a close eye on her for the last few weeks. He follows her to and from work, making sure she gets home safely." Donnie sighed, placing Autumn's arm gently back down and shooting an apologetic smile towards Mikey. "They were bound to find out some time."

"Dude come on!" Mikey threw his arms up in exasperation as the other two turtles eyed him questioningly. "Way to screw up my game, bro..."

"Game?! What game, Mikey?! She's April's cousin, and April told us to stay away from her. You ain't got a chance with dis girl, bro, hate to break it to ya. So ya better stop crushin' on her right now, cos we're gettin' her fixed up, then takin' her back to April, and stayin' away. For good." Growled Raph, jabbing his finger into his brother's plastron for added effect. "We ain't got no business with humans, Mikey, not anymore. Not after da way dey treated us."

"As much as it pains me to say, Raph is right, Mikey," said Leo, placing a gentle hand on the orange clad turtle's shoulder. "It's better if we don't get involved, any more than we already are."

Mikey sighed, looking down at the girl currently unconscious on the hospital bed. Truth be told, Mikey simply couldn't help the way he felt.

To him, Autumn was the most breath takingly beautiful girl he had ever seen. He felt this powerful urge to care for and protect her, like nothing he had ever felt before, and it pained him to know they could never be more than passing acquaintances.

Donnie studied his younger brother carefully and softly sighed, but was soon distracted from feeling bad for Mikey as Autumn stirred once more, slowly opening her eyes.

"Are ya done with the whole faintin' thing now, sweetheart?" Raph questioned, glaring at Leo as he elbowed him sharply.

"I-I think so, maybe ask me that in a couple of hours," Autumn mumbled, sitting up once more. The brothers chuckled amongst themselves. "I have to ask though...now I know I really am not not dreaming, or tripping on anything...what are you guys?"

All four turtles hesitated. "Please, I've had a really...messed up few weeks and j just want some answers. You don't have to worry about me telling anyone about this, I don't know anyone in New York...I just wanna know what the hell is going on..."

The brothers glanced at each other, all pulling up a seat as Mikey responded to the blonde haired beauty in front of him.

"I hope that bed is comfortable, dudette, cos this is kinda a long story..."


End file.
